I occasionally listen to BBC Radio Manchester and a few years ago one of the presenters, Eamon O’Neil, mentioned his student holiday job as a cleaner at Almonds Wythenshawe, at about the time I was there. Then the “penny dropped”, his brother Charlie worked on the ovens, and their father Leo O’Neil was one of the night drivers at Almonds.
Help again.
Thanks all for finding photos of my dad’s old works and Smiths of Eccles very much appreciated.
By any slim chance has anybody come across any info or photo of Logo, Williames Ireland in Ireland daily?
I worked for Williames transport Group between 1972 to 1976 left short while to work Smiths of Eccles and came back. When I started we had 32 tonner AEC Mandator’s then Volvo 88s, Scammell Crusaders, Leyland Marathons and fleet of 18 tonner Ford Custom Cabs. Our depot was at Warren Road Trafford Park. Williames had a purpose built warehouse for groupage and Airfreight next to Timpson’s Shoes Wythenshawe. When Williames closed down the groupage side the warehouse was taken over by Frans Maas. I believe the groupage side was taken over by Woodside Brothers and but notice the Airfreight side was taken over by IFS ifsgroup.com/air-freight/wil … eight.aspx
Williames head office was based at Sinclair House Royal Avenue Belfast. They had a depot at Aldergrove Naas in est Dublin, Cork on Harbour and Clare in est Shannon. We used to travel Stranrae to Larne, Fishgaud to Rosslare, Long loads Swansea to Cork. The Ford Custom cabs were for delivering and collecting groupage 100 mile radius of depots. Uk Depots at Marston Green Birmingham, Poyle in est Slough and Renfrew near Buchcanans lube oil depot.
Williames also based at Preston Docks moved flatbed and containers Shamrock peat but this work was moved by D&A transport and Caledonian Transport until docks closed.
I regret I had never taken any photos in the early years of driving.
Regards Kev
E & F Beattie of Bennett Street Ardwick Manchester.
Here’s a couple for you John,
Bit of a mixed bag in their yard a Bedford an AEC and a Leyland Super Comet.
Any info you have on Beattie’s yard etc etc more than welcome. Reg No BNC 324B a Leyland Super Comet six wheeler tipper would
have only been a couple of years old when this picture was taken in 1966.
If you click on any picture you can view them full size.
Stanfield:
Found on ebay. May have been added on here before, not sure without going through the pages.
The infamous dead cat cab
The lorry was re-cabbed with a 400 Series cab as a part of John’s Atkinson Mk.3 modernisation plan, but the cab lay in the yard until after the auction in 1999.
Here it is, being delivered to its new home in South Yorkshire:
moomooland:
E & F Beattie of Bennett Street Ardwick Manchester.1Here’s a couple for you John,
Bit of a mixed bag in their yard a Bedford an AEC and a Leyland Super Comet.
Any info you have on Beattie’s yard etc etc more than welcome.0Reg No BNC 324B a Leyland Super Comet six wheeler tipper would
have only been a couple of years old when this picture was taken in 1966.
If you click on any picture you can view them full size.
At the risk of getting “a flea” in my ear surely that tidy Beaties tipper is an Albion Reiver, it certainly has the Albion rear axles and the “long” door, which the Comet LAD didn’t use nor did the Comet use the Albion axles IIRC. Cheers Bewick.
Now you’re opening another Pandora’s Box, Dennis!
Albion Axles, yes.
Long door cab, yes.
All the badging, definitely Leyland.
What we need is our friendly Leyland Group expert to sort this one! 
One theory is that, possibly due to front end damage, it’s had the front panels from a Leyland grafted on, complete with brightwork. And didn’t Leyland models have names for the different types such as “Steer” for the Chinese six and “Octopus” for the eight-wheeler. “Comet” was the odd one out, but I thought they were only four-wheelers.
If only I could remember what the equivalent Leyland model to Albion’s Reiver was called? 
And I would be the first to admit that no Comets/Reivers were fitted with a 240 Gardner! 
Retired Old ■■■■:
Now you’re opening another Pandora’s Box, Dennis!
Albion Axles, yes.
Long door cab, yes.
All the badging, definitely Leyland.
What we need is our friendly Leyland Group expert to sort this one!
One theory is that, possibly due to front end damage, it’s had the front panels from a Leyland grafted on, complete with brightwork. And didn’t Leyland models have names for the different types such as “Steer” for the Chinese six and “Octopus” for the eight-wheeler. “Comet” was the odd one out, but I thought they were only four-wheelers.
If only I could remember what the equivalent Leyland model to Albion’s Reiver was called?And I would be the first to admit that no Comets/Reivers were fitted with a 240 Gardner!
Hiya,
Wasn’t the Leyland 6 wheeler simply named the Super Comet ?
thanks harry, long retired.
Bewick:
moomooland:
E & F Beattie of Bennett Street Ardwick Manchester.Here’s a couple for you John,
Bit of a mixed bag in their yard a Bedford an AEC and a Leyland Super Comet.
Any info you have on Beattie’s yard etc etc more than welcome.Reg No BNC 324B a Leyland Super Comet six wheeler tipper would
have only been a couple of years old when this picture was taken in 1966.
If you click on any picture you can view them full size.At the risk of getting “a flea” in my ear surely that tidy Beaties tipper is an Albion Reiver, it certainly has the Albion rear axles and the “long” door, which the Comet LAD didn’t use nor did the Comet use the Albion axles IIRC. Cheers Bewick.
To save years and pages of claims and counter-claims (I’m thinking here of the Guy Big J 8LXB 240) here is irrefutable proof of the Leyland Super Comet Six-Wheeler…or is it an Albion Reiver badge engineered as a Leyland?
Bewick:
At the risk of getting “a flea” in my ear surely that tidy Beaties tipper is an Albion Reiver, it certainly has the Albion rear axles and the “long” door, which the Comet LAD didn’t use nor did the Comet use the Albion axles IIRC. Cheers Bewick.
Leyland Badge above number plate…
Retired Old ■■■■:
Now you’re opening another Pandora’s Box, Dennis!
Albion Axles, yes.
Long door cab, yes.
All the badging, definitely Leyland.
What we need is our friendly Leyland Group expert to sort this one!
One theory is that, possibly due to front end damage, it’s had the front panels from a Leyland grafted on, complete with brightwork. And didn’t Leyland models have names for the different types such as “Steer” for the Chinese six and “Octopus” for the eight-wheeler. “Comet” was the odd one out, but I thought they were only four-wheelers.
If only I could remember what the equivalent Leyland model to Albion’s Reiver was called?And I would be the first to admit that no Comets/Reivers were fitted with a 240 Gardner!
Well now Lads ! I think I could just have set “another hare running” !! The Leyland 6 wheelers were Retrievers IIRC ! But as for an Albion Reiver masquerading as Leyland Super Comet 6 wheeler 
I’m defo questioning the validity of this ! So come on you experts lets have it ! Chapter and verse ! 
ROF has kicked the ball off with his observations. Cheers Dennis.
One of W & J Ridings L.A.D. cabbed Leyland Super Comet’s
Walter Edmundson Leyland Comet six wheeler Reg No DTE 229B
I remember a neighbour of ours who was a long serving driver for Beatties getting a new 6 wheeler Leyland in 1965 C reg (the same week has my Dad got a new D308 series Dodge EBA543C) fitted with the 680 engine and it was a Retriever with the long doors but I do believe they also turned out a 6 wheeler Super Comet.In fact the one in Moomoolands photo DVU94C could have been that motor.
Here is a photo of two of their Comets.
Stanfield:
I remember a neighbour of ours who was a long serving driver for Beatties getting a new 6 wheeler Leyland in 1965 C reg (the same week has my Dad got a new D308 series Dodge EBA543C) fitted with the 680 engine and it was a Retriever with the long doors but I do believe they also turned out a 6 wheeler Super Comet.In fact the one in Moomoolands photo DVU94C could have been that motor.
Hi John, here’s another shot, albeit a poor one, of Beattie’s motors parked outside Beattie’s yard on Bennet Street Ardwick.
I acknowledge that there were plenty of “6 Wheeler” Comets about but they were Third axle conversions by the likes of York and Primrose but I doubt ( here we go again !) if Leyland built a Comet six wheeler which to all intents and purposes was an Albion Reiver, why would they ? Were operators able to order such a motor from Leyland and why would Leyland comply when their premium 6 wheeler was the Retriever with the 600 engine. Just food for thought. Cheers Bewick.
Stanfield:
I remember a neighbour of ours who was a long serving driver for Beatties getting a new 6 wheeler Leyland in 1965 C reg (the same week has my Dad got a new D308 series Dodge EBA543C) fitted with the 680 engine and it was a Retriever with the long doors but I do believe they also turned out a 6 wheeler Super Comet.In fact the one in Moomoolands photo DVU94C could have been that motor.
Here is a photo of two of their Comets.
0
These two motors had the “short door” Comet cab, pity we couldn’t see the bogie, maybe they had the Albion double drive axles as they were tippers and would need decent traction but then there were still many single drive tippers about in the 50’s/60’s. IIRC there has been a shot of a D308 Dodge on the TN site which clearly had an Albion double drive bogie but this would have been an ex works conversion IMHO. Cheers Bewick.
We had 5781 TJ, a 1963 Leyland Comet six-wheeler and as Dennis suggests, it was a Primrose third axle conversion. It was bought new as a 13 tons gvw Comet (LAD cabbed Comets were available as 12 and 13 tons gvw, and Super Comets were 14 ton gvw). The Primrose third axle raised the gvw of 5781 TJ to 18 tons, so a useful payload increase. It came back from Primrose with a flitched chassis and air-assisted hand brake.
Bewick:
These two motors had the “short door” Comet cab, pity we couldn’t see the bogie, maybe they had the Albion double drive axles as they were tippers and would need decent traction but then there were still many single drive tippers about in the 50’s/60’s. IIRC there has been a shot of a D308 Dodge on the TN site which clearly had an Albion double drive bogie but this would have been an ex works conversion IMHO. Cheers Bewick.
Before we go any further with pages and pages and pages of ramblings what would you call this one then Dennis??
IIRC (the old grey matter has been sub-consciously active this morning) these Leyland Super Comet six-wheelers were a special tipper and mixer chassis. All the photos posted so far have the same wheelbase.
gingerfold:
IIRC (the old grey matter has been sub-consciously active this morning) these Leyland Super Comet six-wheelers were a special tipper and mixer chassis. All the photos posted so far have the same wheelbase.
Thanks for that Ginger.
If this thread turned into anything like the ‘GUY Big J 8LXB’ malarkey i think i would lose the will to live.
